Education

Eroding standards of education in a state are often a reflection of poor economic and social conditions, and sometimes of unrepresentative and rigid political structures or outright discrimination. All these factors directly undermine stability and affect the security and prosperity of a society. High standards of education, on the other hand, have been recognized by the OSCE as leading to higher standards of living and more tolerant, democratic and equal societies that respect human rights.

Given the importance of education as an effective conflict prevention tool, we have emphasized from early on the importance of education systems that guarantee universal access to a high standard of education. Our activities in this field focus on national minority education policies; inter-ethnic understanding and interaction in education; respect for diversity, tolerance, equality and human rights in schools; and the need to educate young people without discrimination.

Our institutions and offices

Two of our institutions—the High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights—are spearheading the OSCE’s efforts in the field of education. While the former focuses on engaging participating States in formulating national minority education policies, the latter works on initiatives to promote respect for diversity and mutual understanding in schools and to train educators on human rights.